Are You My Father?
by gibby101
Summary: Gabriella Catherine DiNozzo thinks she found her father when she accidentally runs into Tony on a class trip to Washington when her 8th grade class is barred from an area by Tony because it's a crime scene. Has Cat finally found her long lost Dad?
1. Chapter 1

"Are you My Father?" Gabriella Catherine DiNozzo thinks she found her father when she accidentally runs into Tony on a class trip to Washington when her 8th grade class is barred from an area by Tony because it's a crime scene. Follow Cat as she struggles to some to terms with getting what she's always wanted, the knowledge of who her father is, with a few surprises along the

Please note that I do not own Little Tikes or Are You My Mother by P.D. Eastman. I do own a copy of the aforementioned book and like looking through it every now and then.

* * *

"Googi," five year old Gabriella Catherine, "Cat" Stevens-DiNozzo said sleepily as her grandmother, Googi, carried her down the hallway to bed. "How comes I don't have a daddy?"

Googi stopped mid-stride to think about the question the sleepy five year old had asked her. Not knowing who her father was had never been an issue for Cat, but now that the little girl had started school and her friends talked about their fathers, well Cat must have noticed something was missing from her family.

"When your Mommy had you, Cat, she never told your daddy about you. In fact, all your Grampa and I know about your daddy is that his last name is DiNozzo."

"Just like me!" Cat exclaimed happily as Googi set her down in the door way and scampered into her big girl bed, a mattress and box spring on the floor. The Little Tikes © Storybook Cottage ™ Googi and Charlie had ordered for her hadn't been delivered to Wal-Mart just yet.

"Just like you," Googi said coming over to tuck the little girl into bed. "Do you want a story tonight or do you want to skip a story and stay up late tomorrow night when your Mom brings Mr. Cameron home with her?"

Cat had to think about it. If she chose a story, Googi would read _Are You My Mother_ to her as many times as Cat wanted. But, if she chose to go to bed now without a story, she would get to stay up really late, like till eight thirty, and get to see more of Mr. Cameron. Mr. Cameron was her mom's boyfriend. Googi had told Cat that her Mom and Mr. Cameron were a special kind of dating right now. Mr. Cameron asked her Mommy to marry him last night. "I wanna see Mr. Cameron!" Cat finally decided and curled up with her stuffed animals that took over half of her bed.

"Alright," Googi said as she turned on the princess night light.

"Googi," Cat said when her grandmother reached the doorway. "How come there's only a '_Are You My Mother?'_ book and no are you my daddy book?

Googi paused and carefully thought out her response before replying. "Well, Cat, the birdie must have had a daddy that was at work when he was born and didn't know he was missing his daddy as well."

"Well," Cat said with a yawn, "I think there should be a book about finding a daddy for people that don't have one."

Googi watched as the five year olds' eyelids fluttered shut and the girl's breathing evened out. "If things out the way they're going, Sweetie, you'll have Cameron for a Daddy. I know how much you love seeing him, and he loves seeing you just as much," Googi sighed before she closed the door to the little girl's room and retreated to the living room. "Let's just hope Angela doesn't mess this relationship up for you, Cat. I'll tan her hide myself if she does, I'll tell you that."

* * *

Eight years later, Cat sat cross legged on her bed flipping through one of the few photo albums that contained pictures of herself and her ever absent mother, Angela. The pictures she was currently looking at where from that brief time period when her mother was engaged to Cameron Bean.

Cat paused over the large family portrait Googi had insisted on after the engagement had been announced. Cat was seated on Cameron's lap and laughing at what the man had said. Cameron's blue eyes were sparkling in mischief while Angela looked on with a smile. It stung a little, when Cat would see this picture. When she looked at her five year old self in this photo she saw what could have been.

Cameron had been the closest thing to a father Cat had ever had. Up until Cat's tenth birthday Cameron would sporadically visit her, even though Angela had broken it off with Cameron shortly after Cat's six birthday. The week before Cat's tenth birthday, Cameron had joined the Marine Corps and couldn't get away as easily anymore. The last Cat had heard, Cameron was stationed in Iraq. Cat was scared she'd never get another email, phone call or letter from the man, she was afraid that if something happened to him, and then to her grandparents she'd be sent to Los Angeles, her mother's last known address, and be forced to live her drug addict of a mother. Her often pessimistic train of thought when it came to families was interrupted by her grandmother calling her to the kitchen.

"Cat, honey!" Googi called from the living room of their home. "Dinner's ready!"

Cat set the photo album down on her floral comforter and slid into her purple monster foot slippers as she pulled her brown hair up into a pony tail. The eighth grader was leaving for Washington DC the next morning with her fellow classmates from the Kennett Middle School for their big eighth grade trip.

"Are you all packed?" Googi asked the fourteen year old as she sat down at the dinner table.

"I am," Cat replied. "I have clothes for six days, even though we're only going to be there for four, long sleeved and short sleeved shirts, a bag for my dirty laundry, shorts and jeans, sneakers, flip flops, a bathing suit, towels, socks, clean underwear, snacks, money for souvenirs, my camera, camera batteries, more snacks, homework, my teddy bear, a jacket, umbrella, shampoo and stuff for the shower, a back pack, my CD player, CDs, some DVDs for the bus, and last but not least, the name of my dad," she listed off the items she had packed up for the class trip. "Mrs. Freiberg says we'll have enough down time for me and Michelle to go the library to look for my dad in DC."

"Cat," Grampa Charlie said as he joined his wife and granddaughter at the kitchen table. "We're not even sure that man is your father, let alone if he really lives in Washington. All we have to go on is the word of your mother, and honey, we all know how much that is worth these days."

"Grampa Charlie," Cat said with a smile, "I checked it out, and it seems legit. Mom and my father met in Ohio, right?"

"They did," Googi said as she placed a plate of steak, mashed potatoes, and green beans in front of Cat and Charlie. "And then they, uh, committed the deed, and six months later Angela was on our door step pregnant with you, and three months after that you were born."

"And then six months later she was arrested with a large amount of cocaine in her possession at Wal-Mart," Grampa Charlie said shaking his head in shame at the memory. "And I was rather ashamed to show my face in St. Josephs' for a few weeks after that."

"It wasn't your fault, Grampa, or yours, Googi," Cat said between mouthfuls. "You said that Mom got involved with the wrong crowd when she went to Ohio for college. Nobody's to blame but her."

"And you're the smartest girl in your class, young lady!" Googi said with a smile.

"Googi," Cat said with a giggle. "You're just saying that."

"I wouldn't be if I didn't believe it, young lady." Googi replied

"Remind me again what time we need to bring Miss Brainiac to the school in the morning, Ella," Grampa Charlie said, changing the subject.

"Four thirty," Googi replied adding pepper to her potatoes. "Far too early in my opinion, but they do have quite the drive ahead of them."

"Well, if that's the case," Charlie said as he finished cutting up the last two pieces of steak on his plate. "You need to get to bed after you finishing eating, Cat."

"Grampa, it's only six thirty!" Cat angrily protested and repeatedly stabbed her green beans with her fork.

"Your Grampa is right," Googi told her granddaughter. "You're going to have a long day tomorrow. After dessert you head right up to your room, unplug that new fangled laptop of yours and put it in your carry-on bag. Just because you'll be in the Nation's Capitol for a few days, doesn't mean we don't want to hear from you."

"Will you save me the Conway Daily Sun?" Cat asked hesitantly.

"Of course we will!" Charlie said with a chuckle. "What, did you think we'd forget how much you love the funnies and Dear Abby?"

Cat bit her lip and shrugged before she dug into her last home cooked meal for a few days.

* * *

The next morning, Cat sleepily pulled her backpack and suitcases out of Grampa Charlie's pickup truck in the pre-dawn hours. Cars and parents filled the parking lot surrounding the two large coach buses and filling the chilly April air with excited chatter and last minute reminders.

Charlie took the suitcases from Cat and sent his granddaughter in the direction of Mr. Black, her group's chaperone, to check in. Cat waited with her best friend, Michelle Carter, and their sorta friend, sorta the biggest pain in the butt in the school, Joey Keller.

"It's too early for anybody to be awake," Michelle moaned when Cat slid up to her.

Cat yawned as she nodded in agreement, "I heard that the kids from Freedom and from Madison had to get up at two this morning to get here on time."

"They probably did," Michelle said rubbing her eyes. "I wish Dunkin Donuts had been open on our way in. I would kill for a hot chocolate right now."

"Me too," Cat said as Joey moved off to find his parents and Mr. Black checked the two girls off on his list as being present. "Morning, Mr. Black."

"Morning, girls," the science teacher said, looking up from his clipboard. "Having a nice morning?"

Cat and Michelle both gave their favorite teacher a look that said 'you have got to be kidding me'.

"I'll take that as a 'no' then," Mr. Black said with a laugh. "Don't worry, once you get your suitcases checked in, and everybody's accounted for and on the buses, you can go back to sleep. Did you remember a pillow to use on the ride?"

"We did," the girls said in synch.

"Good. Then I really do advise you two to get some sleep. We won't break out the movies until at least seven thirty, eight at the latest," Mr. Black said to them. "I need you two to go over to Mrs. McKenna and tell her how many bags you have in total, including the bag you're taking on the bus with you, not just the ones going underneath. Got that?"

The two sleepy friends nodded.

"Alright," Mr. Black said. "Off you go then."

As the two girls trudged away and narrowly avoided being hit in the head with a stray football thrown between two jocks they huddled in close together to try and stay warm.

"It's almost May," Michelle whined. "Why does it have to be so stinking cold?"

"Because it's four am," Cat replied as they joined the mob shouting out numbers to Mrs. McKenna, the assistant principal. "And it's still April and we're in the Mount Washington Valley in New Hampshire. Maybe if we're lucky it'll be like 65 in Washington when we get there."

"DiNozzo!" Mrs. McKenna called out, reading Cat's name from a list. "How many bags?"

"Two suitcases and one backpack going up top!" Cat replied.

"Got it!" Mrs. McKenna said scribbling it down and then handing Cat two luggage tags for her suitcases and a yellow sticker for her backpack. "How many bags to you have, Carter?"

"One suitcase and a backpack going up top," Michelle replied and was handed one luggage tag and a yellow sticker as well.

"You two are on bus number one. Mr. Black is on that bus as well, and he's your chaperone for the trip. Listen to what he says and remember this is a school sponsored trip and you're expected to follow the school rules. Don't abuse any down time given to you, not that I need to remind you girls, but just the same, behave yourselves."

"Yes, ma'am," Cat replied.

"Yes, Mrs. McKenna," Michelle answered.

"Go put those on your bags and get on your bus," Mrs. McKenna said. "We're leaving here in fifteen minutes."

The two girls weaved their way through the parents and kids mobbing the two buses back over to where Grampa Charlie's red pickup was parked next to Mrs. Carter's green minivan. They attached the proper tags to the proper bags and hauled the suitcases over the pile that was being loaded onto the different buses.

"Cat," Grampa said to his granddaughter while Michelle was off saying farewell to her parents. "Have fun, stay out of trouble, and take lots of pictures."

"I will, Grampa," Cat said.

"Your Googi and I love you very much and we'll miss you," Charlie said hugging his granddaughter.

"I love you guys, too," Cat said returning the gesture. "I'll miss you too, but I'll email you guys every night and I'll call when I can."

"Email will be just fine. I'll get Roger to show me how to open them at the store," Charlie said. "That way at home I can impress Ella with my computer knowledge."

"You don't need to show off for Googi, Grampa. She loves you already," Cat said puzzled.

"Atta girl," Charlie said fondly tugging on her ponytail. "You stay out of trouble, and if you find your dad, let us know."

"I will," Cat said hugging her grandfather again and then kissing him on the cheek. "Bye!"

"I'll see you in a couple of days," Charlie said. "Have fun!"

"I will!" Cat replied as she raced off for her bus, and the window seat next to Michelle. Once on the bus, Cat settled into her seat and placed her pillow on the window and used her jacket as a blanket. She was ready to leave for Washington, see the capital city, prepare for high school come September, and just possibly find her father.

* * *

Hey there guys! I haven't given up on Daddy's Sweetest Gift. I just needed a break from it, and I'm working on the next chapter when my homework load lets me. Nobody mentioned that the homework load in college would be so hectic. I'm struggling to catch up as it is, but I'm getting there slowly but surely I'll get to updating it! Fear not faithful readers! An update is on the horizon! :) Reviews are much appreciated too! In fact, they're encouraged!


	2. Rainy Day Surprises

Alright guys, thanks for the warm response to this story! Here's chapter two, and remember I don't own NCIS, just Cat, her classmates, and teachers. Review please!

* * *

Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo was not having a good day. He'd overslept, had no time to shave or grab breakfast on the way into work, he had spilled coffee on his last clean pair of pants, slightly burned himself with said coffee and was now wedged in the middle of the bench seat of the NCIS truck. To his left, and driving, was Ziva, and to the right, hanging on for dear life like himself, was McGee. Ziva David, the Mossad liaison officer, had yet to learn that I-95 was the absolutely last place you would find an IED in Washington.

"Ziva!" Tony snapped as he was flung into McGee, yet again. "Slow down! I get that we're on our way to a crime scene in a heavy tourist traffic area, but there's no need to take a left turn at seventy miles an hour!"

"My evasive driving," Ziva started, but Tony cut her off.

"Is the best possible way to avoid an IED, we know," Tony said. "It's just that _some_ of us are very fond of the contents of our stomachs, Da-veed. You don't wanna be cleaning up Probie's up-chuck when we get to the scene, do you?"

Ziva rolled her eyes, and the speedometer dropped to a more reasonable speed. "How is that?" Better, yes?"

"Much," Tony said as he relaxed in his seat.

"What is with your snippy attitude this morning? You are not your regular self," Ziva said as she turned the truck onto the correct street.

"I'm just not having a good day," Tony said without elaborating. "I'm sure it'll get better as the day goes on."

"We're on our way to a crime scene," McGee said with a sigh. "How exactly is your day going to get better?"

Tony shrugged, "I don't know, I just have this feeling in my gut something good is going to happen today.

* * *

"Hey, Cat! Wait up!" Cat turned around to see Michelle squeezing her way through the crowd to catch up to her friend. "Did you find anything on your dad last night online?"

"A little bit," Cat said with a smile. "I found out that he went to Ohio State and played football. He could have gone pro, but he had a bad knee injury and that was the end of his football days. His first name is Tony, and he lives in the DC area. I Googled his name and found he got some kind of rare disease from work and that he's okay now."

"Well, that's a lot," Michelle said as they climbed onto the bus that would drop them off near the Roosevelt Memorial. "Do you know a general area of where he lives?"

Cat shook her head 'no', "Not yet. I'm planning on asking if I can go to the public library to look that up, cause he got that disease he's bound to be in the paper so we might be able to see where he works and we could possibly find out his address from there."

"Well since he was in the paper for getting sick, it shouldn't be too hard to find him," Michelle said, slouching down in the window seat as the bus took off for the Roosevelt Memorial area. "But you're gonna find him, he's gonna love the idea of being your dad, and then you'll go back and forth between Washington, D.C. and Conway."

"I don't know," Cat said with a shrug. "I'm not too keen on living in a city this big."

"Maybe you can convince your dad to put in for a transfer to the Conway area," Michelle suggested helpfully.

"Maybe," Cat said half heartedly. "Michelle, what if he turns out to not be my dad? What if there's _another_ Tony DiNozzo out there and he's the wrong one?"

Michelle sat up to face her best friend. "Gabriella Catherine Stevens-DiNozzo! Don't let me hear you being such a Negative Nancy again on this trip! You're going to find your dad and that's that."

"Thanks, Michelle," Cat said, "I needed that."

"Alright people, listen up!" Mr. Black said, standing up in the aisle of the moving bus. "I just got off the phone with Mrs. McKenna on the first bus. We won't be going to the Vietnam Memorial today. The National Parks Service and the FBI have the area roped off to non-government personnel until further notice. So instead we're going to the Roosevelt, Jefferson, Lincoln, and the Korean War Memorials before we head over to the Museum of Natural History. Any questions?"

"Why are the two busses split up?" Jenny Geary asked curiously from the back of the bus. "I would rather wander around DC in this awful drizzle with Melissa and Amanda, but they're on the other bus."

"Good question, Jenny!" Mr. Black said clapping his hands together. "We split the buses up so that we have a smaller number of students to keep track of at each attraction, and so that each group can cover the same amount of ground while we're here. Both bus loads will be meeting up on Thursday when we go to the Washington Navy Yard. And possibly when we tour the J. Edgar Hoover building on Thursday afternoon. Any other questions?"

Nobody else spoke up.

"Alright, then!" Mr. Black said, turning around and sitting down in his seat next to Mrs. Freiberg, the assistant principal, as the rest of the students began to excitedly chatter and gossip over why they thought the Vietnam Wall was closed.

"Do you think your dad is an FBI Agent?" Michelle asked Cat.

"I don't know," Cat said with a shrug. "It would be pretty cool if he was. He'd be like Mulder, but without the alien thing. I hope."

Both girls giggled and listened to the ridiculous gossip that was being shouted around the bus.

* * *

At the crime scene in the middle of the Roosevelt Memorial, Tony and Ziva were, once again, at each other's throats.

"Enough!" Gibbs finally barked out. He'd had it with his Senior Field Agent and their Mossad Liaison Officer constantly bickering. "David, you go handle crowd control to the south."

Ziva opened her mouth to protest, but was silenced by Gibbs's glare.

"Do not argue. Move it," Gibbs said in a steely voice that left no room for an argument. As Ziva stalked off, muttering in Hebrew, most likely cursing Tony and his family into oblivion. Gibbs turned on DiNozzo. "And you," Gibbs said, disappointment dripping from his tone. "You should know better, DiNozzo. Witness statements. Now."

"On it, Boss," Tony said, retreating to the northern end of the memorial where the Local LEOs had put the witnesses.

"And, DiNozzo," Gibbs said, softening his tone. "Stop letting her get to you like that."

Tony nodded tersely and continued off to collect witness statements.

* * *

Cat and Michelle huddled under an umbrella as the light drizzle changed over into a steadier rain. "Mr. Black!" Cat cried out over the rain. "Can't we just go to the museums now? And then come back out here when it stops raining?"

Cat's classmates murmured in agreement as Mr. Black contemplated the request.

"How about we compromise?" Mr. Black said to the kids. "We go through this one memorial, it's a long one, but very informative, and then head back to the bus and then we go to the American History Museum. They have the exhibit with all of the TV and movie props throughout the whole building."

"YES!" The class cried out triumphantly, they'd been trying for a week and a half to get that particular section of the museum included into the trip's itinerary.

"All righty then! Onwards we go!" Mr. Black said to the assembled group. "Everybody break up into your museum groups, we'll forgo the question sheet for now, and explore the life and influences of Franklin Delano Roosevelt."

Michelle, Cat, Jake Jones, Jenny Geary, Taylor O'Shea, Joey Gilroy, Nick Brennan, Erin Bell, and Kenzie Tyler circled around Mr. Black as the other six groups met up with their adult leader. "Are we all here?" Mr. B asked, shaking some of the rain off of his umbrella. "Good," he said, after he counted out the nine young teenagers he was responsible for. "Now, who can tell me anything about FDR before we move into the memorial area?"

Cat, Jake, Jenny, Michelle, Taylor and Nick all raised their hands.

"One at a time," Mr. B informed them, "starting with Cat, then, Jenny, Michelle, Taylor, Nick and Jake."

"President Roosevelt was the only president in the United States to be elected for four consecutive terms. After his final term, a limit was put in place so that a President could only serve two terms in his, or maybe in the future, her, lifetime," Cat said.

"Nicely put," Mr. Black said, "and you are correct on that one, Cat."

"President Roosevelt was related to Teddy Roosevelt, who told him not to run for President," Jenny said with a shrug. She was the lone student with one of the large green and white golf umbrellas to herself. Mr. Black nodded and Michelle took this as her cue to speak up.

"President Roosevelt had fire-side radio broadcasts throughout the Great Depression to reassure Americans that everything would work out. He also created the New Deal which created thousands of jobs for young men, and that also created roadways and boundaries in many of America's National Parks."

"You're very well informed, Miss Carter," Mr. Black said with a smile. "I wish you would put that much effort into some of your lab reports."

Michelle blushed and nudged Cat, causing both girls to break out into giggles.

"FDR had polio as a child and was frequently photographed sitting down, so the American public really didn't know he was in a wheel chair," Taylor said from next to Joey.

Jake opened his mouth to state his fact when Mrs. Curley, one of the other chaperones, called over to Mr. Black.

"Joel! There's some kind of commotion going on in the middle of the Memorial and there are federal agents turning people away," Mrs. Curley said, coming closer to the group closest to the entrance.

"Where did you hear this, Pat?" Mr. Black asked worriedly.

"One of the teenagers that was leaving with another school group," Mrs. Curley said to him.

Rubbing his face with his hand, Mr. Black sighed before he spoke. "I'll take my group in as far as we can go, and if it's true, we'll head straight for the Smithsonian. Understood?"

Nodding in agreement, Mrs. Curley turned on her heel and headed back over to the group she was in charge of.

"So it appears there has been a slight change of plans, again," Mr. Black said with a sigh. "But the good news is that it's stopped raining. On the other hand," Mr. Black said as he noticed a lack of people milling about behind them. "We might not be able to get to everything on today's itinerary."

The class groaned, fearing that their museum trip would be canceled.

"I meant my plans on the itinerary would be cut out, not what we agreed on earlier," Mr. Black said with a chuckle.

Visibly relaxing, the kids followed their teacher like ducklings into the Memorial. "Mr. Black," Jenny said hesitantly. "What do we do if there really are federal agents turning people away?"

"We do as they say, Jenny, and we go back to the buses and head for the Museum of American History. Any other questions?"

Nobody answered, they had spotted the tell tale yellow tape that was just around the corner.

"Okay, folks, I need you to turn around and head back to your tour buses, cars, taxis, planes, trains and automobiles. This area is a crime scene and is now off limits," a tall man with a dark jacket said to a gathering crowd. "This is a restricted area."

"How restricted?" Mr. Black asked the man as he came closer to the tape line.

The man turned to Mr. Black and took in the group of students trailing behind the science teacher. "Restricted to the point that if you don't have a Federal issued badge, you don't get passed this line," he retorted.

"And if I was to take my class around the Memorial to see the other side, what would happen?" Mr. Black asked curiously. "We're on a bit of a tight schedule and the Vietnam Wall is also closed off."

The Federal Agent paused and considered what Mr. Black was saying. "If you took those kids around to the other side, you'd be blocked by the NCIS Major Crime Unit truck and our ME's van. I wish I could tell you when this will be open again, but it's a hit or miss with crime scenes."

"I understand," Mr. Black said to the man. Cat was able to see that the agent was from NCIS when Mr. Black moved away from the tape.

"DINOZZO!" an older man further into the Memorial barked out. "Are you still on crowd control?"

"Yes, Boss!" DiNozzo said turning around. "Just needed to turn a few school tour groups away from the area."

"I'm sorry," Cat said wandering closer to the tape and Agent DiNozzo. "But did the other agent just call you 'DiNozzo'?"

"He did," The NCIS Agent said turning to face Cat. "Why?"

"Is your first name Anthony?" Cat asked cautiously.

"Yes," taking a very good look at Cat while he answered her. "Do I know you from somewhere?" He asked taking off his hat and running his hand through his hair.

"I think I'm your daughter," Cat said excitedly. "I've been looking for you for months."

Tony's jaw dropped and he couldn't believe the bombshell that the eighth grader had just dropped on her. "Boss!" he called out turning around. "I need five minutes."

"DiNozzo, I told you to hit the head before we left NCIS," an older man said, walking up to Tony.

"Well, this is a more personal matter than needing to hit the head," Tony said to his boss. "My daughter just found me."

* * *

Reviews please! I really could use some this week. It's been a long and slightly suckish week for me in college. Reviews always make my day and make me smile :)


	3. Daddy and Me DNA Testing

"Oh," the boss said, looking between Cat and Tony. "Well, we need to take a trip to see Abby, then."

"Who's that?" Cat asked curiously.

"She's our forensics expert," Tony explained, staring at his daughter. "She'll be able to run a DNA test to confirm your being my daughter, but I think just by looking at each other, we'll be able to tell."

"The resemblance _is_ pretty creepy," Michelle said looking between her best friend and her newfound father.

"I really can't leave," Cat said looking from her father and Mr. Black. "I'm on a field trip with my class."

"How about after school? I'll call your mom and explain if you want me to," Tony offered. He wasn't looking forward to speaking to one of his ex-girlfriends from college, but if dealing with her meant he could see Cat frequently, than he was more than willing to make that phone call.

"Um, well, the thing is, I'm from North Conway," Cat said nervously. She caught herself biting her lip, it was one of her habits she had when she was nervous. "That's in New Hampshire, and we're only here for a couple of days before we have to go home."

It suddenly hit Tony that he hadn't considered that Cat lived out of state. After all, Washington DC _was_ the nation's capital and schools from across the country made field trips here annually. "New Hampshire, huh?"

"Yeah," Cat said, feeling her excitement about finding her father fading. "It's almost a full day's drive from DC to home."

"Let's see if we can get your chaperone to work something out, then," Tony said, as he lifted the crime scene tape to come talk to Cat and Mr. Black.

"Mr. Black," Cat said as the pair of DiNozzos approached the science teacher. "This is my dad."

Mr. Black had turned around at the sound of Cat's voice and was looking between Cat and Tony, and then from Tony to Cat. "I see that now," Mr. Black said with a smile. "What can I do for you two?"

"Can we make arrangements to take…to take… God, I'm an awful father," Tony stated turning to Cat. "I was ready to call your mom about all of this and I forgot to ask you the most important question. What's your name?"

Cat and Michelle giggled at Tony's slip up. "It's okay," Cat said with a smile. "I'm Gabriella Catherine Stevens-DiNozzo. Don't call me Gabby or Ella. I go by Cat."

"Cat, like the animal?" queried Tony.

"Like the animal," Cat restated. "And if it helps you, I'm thirteen, almost fourteen."

Laughing with a smile, Tony pulled Cat in for a hug and when they parted, he ruffled her shoulder length, curly, brown hair.

"Daaaaaaaad," Cat whined playfully, making the smile on Tony's face triple in size.

"As I was saying before I realized I was being a terrible father," Tony said, getting back on track. "Could we make some kind of arrangement to bring Cat to the NCIS for a DNA test? The resemblance between us _is_ undeniable, but I just want to double check."

Mr. Black looked at the little family as he made his decision. "You need to take a chaperone with you," he said as one of the conditions. "And you need to come up with an alternative assignment on what the information you're going to be missing out on."

"Mr. B," Cat said with the slightest hint of a whine. "This is a _fun_, homework free field trip, remember?"

"I know," Mr. Black said with a chuckle, "I just wanted to make sure you were paying attention."

"When are we going?" Cat asked curiously.

"Whenever you'd like to go, Agent DiNozzo," Mr. Black said. "And if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to accompany the two of you to NCIS. We've got a tour of the Washington Navy Yard on Thursday, and I just want to see how many kids will fit in NCIS at once without the building exploding."

"That's you guys?" Tony inquired. "I knew that there was a tour group coming in this week, but it slipped my mind when they were coming."

"Yeah, that's us!" Cat said with a smile as she grabbed her dad's hand. "So when do you want to go do this DNA test?"

"Hold on a minute," Tony said to Cat and then turned around towards his boss. "Boss! Can Cat and I head back for the DNA test now?"

"Go for it, DiNozzo," Gibbs said with a smile. "You're going to have to walk around the Memorial, though. Cat and her teacher aren't cleared to gain access to the crime scene."

Tony sighed when he realized how much walking that required until Gibbs seemed to take pity on Cat, not Tony, and barked out, "Ziver! Go get the car and bring it around this side for Tony and his daughter!"

"Tony has a daughter?" Ziva asked, coming around to where Gibbs was.

"Hi!" Cat said with a wave, "I'm Cat and, you are?"

"Ziva David," Ziva said, looking between father and daughter in surprise. "Gibbs, am I seeing what I think I am seeing?"

"Depends on what you think you're seeing, Zee-vah," Tony said with a smile. "Just go and get the car, David."

Sticking her tongue out at Tony and turning on her heel, Ziva left to go and retrieve the Dodge Charger for the DiNozzo family.

* * *

On the ride over to NCIS, Cat sat in the front seat next to Tony discussing her childhood in New Hampshire, and they finally touched upon the subject of Angela.

"Do you want me to call your mom and explain this all to her?" Tony asked Cat as he changed lanes.

"If you can get her phone number, go for it," Cat said rolling her eyes. "Googi and Grampa have been trying to track her down for the past year and a half."

"What do you mean?" Tony asked his daughter.

"My mom is a drug addict," Cat said angrily. "She left when I was seven after she screwed up her engagement to Cameron and then took off for Los Angeles. Googi and Grampa Charlie raised me while Mom was in and out of rehab and jail. When I was four, she had cleaned up her act and met Cameron in Boston, and they hit it off. They got engaged not too long after I turned five, and they broke up two months before the wedding, when I was six. Cameron stayed in contact with me even after Angela left us. I haven't heard from Cameron in a while, but that's only because he's stationed in Iraq right now."

"I'm so sorry, Cat," Tony said, his voice chocking up. "If I had known about you, I would have been up there with you, I swear."

"What would you have done?" Cat asked playing with her sleeves, again one of her nervous habits manifesting. "I liked growing up with Googi and Grampa Charlie. I get to see my grandparents every day. I know kids in my grade that only get to see their grandparents twice a year."

"Still," Tony said as he turned down the radio. "Growing up without a parent isn't fun. I've been there. I would have killed to have a dad that gave a damn about me."

Looking at her father curiously, Cat asked, "What do you mean?"

"My mom died when I was nine," Tony said quietly. "My dad was too busy for me, and my grandparents were either dead or living in England. After Mom died, I was an afterthought. Dad would plan a business trip to Hawaii, and someone on the house staff had to remind dear old Dad that he needed to bring Junior with him. That same trip he left me alone in the hotel and went back to the mainland for three days before he remembered where I was."

"That sounds rough," Cat said, she sort of understood what Tony was saying. "Kinda sounds like he'd have sent you to your grandparents if he could."

"Well, he eventually did something like that," Tony replied hesitantly and vaguely.

"What did he do?" Cat asked as Tony turned the car onto the Navy Yard driveway.

"Disowned me and sent me to Military School in Rhode Island," Tony said as he pulled out his badge for the Marines at the gate. "You two need to get out some form of ID for the Marines to see and verify."

Mr. Black moved around in the backseat to get out his wallet and New Hampshire driver's license while Cat bit her lip nervously. "Um, Dad, I don't have an ID."

Tony jumped a little at being addressed as 'dad', but kept his composure. "Do you have a school ID?" he asked her.

"Nope," Cat said with a shrug. "We don't get those until we start high school."

"It's no big deal," Tony said as they rolled to a stop at the gate.

"Hey, Tony," the male guard said with a smile while Tony rolled down the car driver's side window. "Suspects or witnesses?"

"Neither," Tony said to Captain Calumet, "This is my daughter, Cat, and her teacher, Mr. Black, he's her chaperone for a school trip."

"I didn't know you had a daughter," Calumet said, keeping the conversation going while his partner, Lt. McNamara, searched the outside of the car. "Well, I need to see some ID for the teacher in the back."

"Sure thing," Mr. Black said handing his ID through the open window to Captain Calumet.

The Captain took the ID from Mr. Black and stepped into the shed to run Mr. Black's identity. While they were waiting, Cat waived to Lt. McNamara. The female Marine fought a small smile, and continued on with her duties.

"You're all set," Captain Calumet said coming back out of the guard hut. "Have a nice day!"

"See you later, Rick," Tony said with a wave and drove off.

"So how old were you when your father disowned you?" Cat asked, picking up where their conversation where they had left off.

"I'd rather not talk about it," Tony said heading for the NCIS parking area. "It's a sensitive subject."

"Dad," Cat said looking at her father. "You brought it up, not me. And I think it's mean to not finish telling somebody a story you started to tell."

"Fine," Tony said pulling his car into an empty parking spot. "I was twelve when Dad had enough of me. After I graduated from Military School, I got a scholarship to Ohio State for football and after Ohio State; I went to the police academy, three departments later I ended up here at NCIS."

"Oh my God," Cat said, her jaw dropping. "My grandfather is a Grade A jerk face."

Laughing, Tony got out of the car, "I couldn't have said it any better."

Cat giggled as she came around the car and hugged her father, "Thanks, Dad."

"You're welcome, Kiddo," Tony said with a smile, hugging her back.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, ten spent convincing Security that Cat was Tony's daughter, three explaining the jest of things to Jenny Shepard the Director, and two minutes spent on elevators, found the trio stepping off the elevator to Abby's lab.

"Hey, Abs!" Tony called out, stepping over the threshold of the lab.

"TONY!" Abby cried out excitedly, like she hadn't seen Tony in a week. In reality, it had only been three hours since she had last seen Tony. "You're back earlier than Ziva and McGee! What do you have for me? Hair samples, blood samples, clothes, what do I need to do for you?"

"How many Caf-Pow!s have you had today, Abs?" Tony asked with a smirk.

"Three," Abby said slyly.

"Abby…" Tony said with a warning tone.

"Three, since I saw you three hours ago," Abby admitted. "But that's not important, what do you have for me?" she asked pulling out a pen to sign for the evidence.

"A DNA test," Tony said with a smile. "Swab away," he said before he opened his mouth.

Taking the subtle cue from her father, Cat opened her mouth as well.

"Why am I running a DNA test on samples from you and this little girl?" Abby asked as she pulled on new gloves and reached for a few sterile cotton swabs.

"I'm _not_ that little," Cat protested and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Cat's my daughter," Tony said. "Gibbs suggested a DNA test to confirm it. It's mainly to work out a custody agreement."

"No way!" Abby squealed looking between Cat and Tony. "I can totally see the resemblance! Tony, you have a family!" Abby launched herself at Tony and squeezed the stuffing out of the Senior Field Agent in a bear hug.

"Hi," Cat said when Abby turned to her. "I'm Cat Stevens-DiNozzo. It's nice to meet you."

"Oh, you're so cute! You're, you're a, a, a mini female, politer, Tony!" Abby exclaimed. "I'm Abby Scuito, forensic scientist extraordinaire."

"Don't mind her," Tony said, leaning over to Cat to whisper in her ear. "It's the caffeine doing some of the talking right now."

Cat nodded understanding what he was talking about.

* * *

While Abby was doing her thing and Tony wandered off into the forensic scientist's office, Mr. Black was waiting in the hallway out of the way. Unbeknownst to him, he was being watched while he watched one of his best students interact with her father and his friend.

* * *

"So is this a top priority DNA slash paternity test?" Abby asked as she prepared her samples for testing.

"Up to Cat," Tony said with a shrug as he hovered around Abby's office door.

"Nope," Cat said. "There's no big rush. It's just a whatcha-ma-call-it, a formality."

"Alright," Abby said. "Just a warning, Cat. If I get a huge caseload, this test gets pushed to the side. I'm doing this on my own time as a favor for Tony."

"Totally understood," Cat replied.

"Can I ask you a personal question, Cat?" Abby asked the young girl as she headed for her equipment, her babies.

"Sure," Cat said while she absentmindedly played with a voodoo doll Abby had left on her workbench. It bore a striking resemblance to her landlord, not that Cat knew what Abby's landlord looked like.

"Where does 'Cat' come from?"

"It's from my middle name," Cat said. "My full name is Gabriella Catherine Stevens-DiNozzo. When I was a little baby, my Grampa Charlie used to call me his 'Lil Kitty Cat' and Cat just stuck."

"It's cute," Abby said as McGee and Ziva came in the door and began to haul in their evidence.

"Thanks," Cat said replacing the doll; head first, on the work bench.

"You're welcome," Abby said. "Do me a favor? Grab your snooping father out of my office and take him up to see Gibbs before you leave."

"On it, Abby!" Cat responded enthusiastically with a salute and bounced into Abby's office to retrieve her dad.

* * *

Charles Sterling hid in the shadows contemplating what he had just heard. DiNozzo was a father. A young, impressionable, teenage girl claimed DiNozzo was her father. He mused over it for a moment before deciding to let Abby run the test with no interference. He would not let this new discovery mess with his plans with 'Very Special' Agent Anthony DiNozzo. Whatever happened with the girl, happened.

* * *

So I decided that this was going to be set in Season 3, a few weeks before 'Frame Up' (3.9) I realize that Frame UP was aired in November, and this takes place in April. I'm using my creative licence to move it to an April setting. Chip has made an appearnce! He'll be back in future chapters, he's going to be sticking around for another chapter, no matter how creepy he gets. Note to self, watch 'Frame Up' with commentary...it's Michael Weatherly and Pauley Perrette for any of you lucky ducks with season 3 on DVD. A commentary with those two is always worth watching/listening to :) As usual, reviews people! I try to respond to each and everyone of my reviews if I can, and I love anon reviews as well.


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